Sunday May 31 we will meet at my office in Binghamton at 2 pm for 15 minutes of silent
meditation followed by a discussion of how to recognize and be free
of conditioned, automatic patterns of thought, belief, and feeling. Traditionally
in Advaita Vedanta and classical Buddhism these patterns have been known as
vasanas.
Vāsanā is a behavioral tendency or karmic imprint which influences the present behavior of a person. It is a technical term in Indian religions, particularly Buddhist philosophy and Advaita Vedanta.
Past impressions,
impressions formed, the present consciousness of past (life) perceptions; the impression of
anything in the mind, the present consciousness formed from past perceptions,
knowledge derived from memory, the impressions remaining in the mind; thinking of,
longing for, expectation, desire, inclination. (All of the above from Wikipedia).
For our purposes, let
us think of vasanas as any thought, behavior, or emotion that is the result of
conditioning and programming. The corresponding understanding is that thoughts,
behaviors, and emotions can arise from either vasanas or from the free movement
of Mind in the world through the form of a particular person. These free and
spontaneous thoughts, acts, and feelings are unconditioned and therefore impersonal.
This free movement is acting or speaking from no mind or the Self, as the
source of such actions is unknown. It is known, however, that such acts are not
‘mine’ as they do not arise from ‘me’. It is possible and desirable to learn to
recognize the difference between actions originating from ‘emptiness’ and those
originating from conditioning.
It is useful and
important to improve the quality of our daily life to allow increasingly for
the free movement of the Self through us. By becoming aware of and learning to not
feed or indulge our conditioned beliefs and reactions, we can improve our
ability to be present for our life. This talk will focus on becoming aware of
our common and persistent vasanas. We will also discuss understandings and practices
that facilitate our ability to become progressively free of such conditioning.
With the emergence
of various levels of awakening, there is the spontaneous, effortless disappearance
of many vasanas. However, it is my experience that the deeper the awakening,
the harder it is to recognize the remaining blind spots in our self. The willingness
to recognize the emergence of these blind spots almost always requires a
preexisting (prior to awakening) deep commitment to a spiritual tradition which
recognizes the necessity of continuous practice and humility after even the
most profound awakening. The alternative is to maintain an honest openness to
the emergence of conditioned behavior. The easiest and most effective way for
this openness to occur is through interaction with a living teacher who has
been through every stage of this journey.
If you are interested in attending, please
RSVP as space is limited.
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